The present invention relates to a commutator-motor gear/drive unit and in particular, a window-lift drive for a motor vehicle, the drive having a motor housing with a front-side housing flange, a gear housing with a front-side housing flange, and an electronic housing with a printed circuit board including an integrated brush-holder plate for the commutator motor. A similar drive unit is discussed in the European Patent No. EP-Al-0 474 904.
In the drive unit disclosed by the European Patent No. EP-Al-0 474 904, the printed-circuit board is integrated with the brush-holder plate and is inserted into an extension of the cup-shaped gear housing in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the housing flange. The gear housing is tightly sealed with a cover able to be assembled perpendicularly to the plane defined by the housing flange. The commutator is arranged on the rotor shaft of the commutator motor and extends into the gear housing. The commutator extends axially beyond the plane of the housing flange into the gear housing. The commutator is wiped there by brushes which are mounted on an extension of the printed-circuit board that projects into the gear housing.
In United Kingdom Patent No. GB-A-2 079 540 (and in the German Patent Application No. DE-Al-30 21 948, which establishes priority of United Kingdom Patent No. GB-A-2 079 540), FIGS. 4-8, illustrate an electric commutator gear/drive unit, in particular for windshield wipers of a motor vehicle. In this gear/drive unit, a plug-connector housing running parallel to the motor housing has a base plate. The base plate runs essentially parallel to the front-side housing flanges of the motor housing and the gear housing and accommodates attachment plugs. The base plate comprises a one-piece brush-holder plate to accommodate the brushes. The base plate (or the brush-holder plate) projects, on the rim side, radially between the front flange of the motor housing and the gear housing. The base plate is retained by clamping it between the front flange of the motor housing and the gear housing.
The object of the present invention, given a simplified manufacturing and assembly, is to achieve a more compact construction for a drive unit provided with an electronics protected from the external environment, in particular for a window-lift drive as used in a motor vehicle.